Primary

On the completion of Year 1, the children move into the Junior Section in Lomo Diviso which is a modern, purpose built school inaugurated in September 1999, on the outskirts of Las Palmas. It is on a 17.000 square metre plot of land adjacent to the Senior building established seven years previously. Here the Junior pupils have their own tutor based classrooms, computer room, dining room, library, music room, theatre and very extensive playgrounds. The children also have access to two computers in their own classroom, an interactive whiteboard and printer. On the site there is also a kitchen and dining room where the food is prepared and eaten.

The school has 15 classes divided into 5 year groups (Yrs 2-6) where staff work in year group teams of three. Here the maximum number in a class continues to be 25.

Pupils at Canterbury School follow the UK National Curriculum which has been adapted where necessary to our geographical location. The programme of studies offers the children a variety of opportunities to develop their competence in English and other curriculum areas. In addition we have three Spanish teachers on the staff and each class receives a Spanish lesson a day. This department co-ordinates closely with the Early Years Department and the teachers carefully build on the excellent foundation created there. Once again the atmosphere and ethos of the school reflect the professionalism of the staff who works in it to provide a rich and stimulating learning environment.

Children learn best when they are motivated and to encourage them we have a system of stars and house points. Each child is assigned a house colour and throughout the year there are many opportunities to gain points for their team eg. for effort, good work, behaviour etc. We also celebrate children’s work and effort in our weekly assemblies through certificates and awards.

We are proud of the success we have in the creative side of the curriculum. All the children are accustomed to performing on the stage many times throughout the year. Our shows and assemblies provide us with yet another chance to link with parents and we are always pleased to hear the positive comments from them. Carnival, Canary Day, Book Day, Christmas and our annual show are all eagerly awaited by both children and parents alike!

To complement our curriculum we arrange a variety of educational visits to places of interest on the island. Where we can, we also invite people from the local community to come in and talk to the children about their job and position etc.

When the children move from our department one of our aims is to have provided them with the necessary skills to be able to access the Secondary curriculum. We also hope we have given them a solid base for them to grow as individuals showing respect, care and tolerance towards others.